The number of books in the Bible depends on which Bible is being referenced. Protestant and Catholic churches recognize 27 New Testament books. Protestants recognize 39 books of the Jewish canon in the Old Testament. Roman Catholics hold 46 books of the Old Testament as canon, along with expanded versions of Esther and Daniel. In addition to the 73 books of the Catholic Bible, the Orthodox Church adds three more books to their canon. By far, the largest canon of all is found in the Ethiopic Church, whose Bible totals 81 books. This Apocryphal volume contains the books of the Catholic, Orthodox, and Ethiopic Bibles, which include: 1 Esdras, 2 Esdras, 1 Maccabees, 2 Maccabees, 3 Maccabees, 4 Maccabees, Letter (Epistle) of Jeremiah, The Prayer of Azariah, Baruch, Prayer of Manasseh (Manassas), Bel and the Dragon, Wisdom of Sirach, Wisdom of Solomon, Additions to Esther, Tobit, Judith, Susanna, Psalm 151, Enoch, Jubilees, 1 Clements, Shepherd of Hermas.

The Old Testament Apocrypha is the best-loved and most-studied body of literature left out of the Protestant Bible. Called "duetero-canonical" by Catholic Christians, these books shed invaluable light on the critical period of Jewish history taking place between the testaments. Include 1 & 2 Esdras, Tobit, Judith, Additions to Esther., Ecclesiasticus, Wisdom of Solomon, 1 Baruch, Epistle of Jeremiah, Song of the Three Holy Children, Susanna, Bel & the Dragon, Prayer of Manasses, 1 & 2 Maccabees.

Translation of: Neutestamentliche Apokryphen.

In the introductory section of this volume, the author presents a detailed but concise survey of the apocryphal works. She outlines how and why this type of literature developed, and shows its relation to the growth of the Judaeo-Christian tradition. A list of the most important apocrypha, with explanatory notes about their content and influence, concludes this complete introduction. The text continues with extracts from the writings themselves. Various accounts of creation, the conceptions of good and evil and the notions of the spirit world are all studied in depth. Legends of the Age of the Patriarchs and several other selections reflect the traits of the people of ancient Israel. The author devotes special attention to the pious sect of Jews who formed the Qumran community and who are responsible for the writings in the Dead Sea Scrolls. Interesting portions from the actual text of these scrolls provide illuminating insights into the daily life of this religious group. Through comments and evaluations, the author provides a significant link in the chain of religious history.

"In treating the individual books of the Apocrypha, Harrington shows their links to the Hebrew Bible and notes their importance for understanding the New Testament."--Cover.

Newly issued in a series of part volumes, the OBC is now available in an affordable and portable format for the books comprising the Apocrypha. Includes a general introduction to using the Commentary, in addition to an introduction to the study of the Apocrypha.

Translation of: Neutestamentliche Apokryphen.

Volume five of the Mercer Commentary on the Bible comprises commentaries on the deuterocanonical/apocryphal books which Martin Luther called "useful and good for reading" yet did not consider of the same authority as Scripture. Volume five of the Mercer Commentary on the Bible includes commentaries from the critically acclaimed Mercer Commentary on the Bible and appropriate articles from the equally well-received Mercer Dictionary of the Bible. This convenient yet thorough edition is for the classroom and for anyone who wishes to focus study on these particular texts.

The Bible, as we hold it today, is esteemed by many religious institutions and especially Conservative Christians to be the inspired, inerrant Word of God. This doctrinal position affirms that the Bible is unlike all other books or collections of works in that it is free of error due to having been “given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: that the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works” (2 Tim. 3:16, 17). While no other text can claim this same unique authority, Apocryphal and Pseudepigraphal literature such as contained in this volume of The Researchers Library of Ancient Texts (Volume One—The Apocrypha: Includes the Books of Enoch, Jasher, and Jubilees), provides literature that often precedes or follows the chronology of biblical texts, which frequently are used or assigned as supplemental works within academic settings to help students and scholars discover or better understand cultural and historical context within the Word of God. Whether or not the information contained in the apocryphal literature is entirely precise—as is the canon of Scripture—these ancient texts provide commentators’ valuable insight into what many ancient Jews and early Christians believed when, “God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets” (Heb. 1:1). The Researchers Library of Ancient Texts is therefore intended to be a supplemental resource for assisting serious researchers and students in the study of the Bible and Bible times. Contained in this volume: The Book of Enoch, The Book of Jasher, The Book of Jubilees, 1 Esdras, 2 Esdras, 1 Maccabees, 2 Maccabees, Tobias, Judith, Wisdom, Sirach, Baruch, Susanna, Prayer of Azariah, Prayer of Manasseh, Bel and the Dragon, and Laodiceans.

Provides a new English translation of the Apocrypha and includes background information on the text

This comprehensive, up-to-date introduction to the Old Testament apocryphal books summarizes their context, message, and significance. The first edition has been very well reviewed and widely adopted. It is the most substantial introduction to the Apocrypha available and has become a standard authority on the topic. The second edition has been substantially revised and updated throughout to reflect the latest scholarship. The book includes a foreword by James H. Charlesworth.

Collected and Translated by Montague Rhodes James. There are many ancient, lost books relating to the Bible and this work covers the ones that are most hard to find, dating between 100 BCE and 100 CE. In many cases we do not have the full works, but have various sections and fragments. The author, Montague James, used quotations found mostly in the works of the Greek Ante-Nicene Fathers like Origen, Hippolytus and Clement of Alexandria to piece together what we are missing. He also uses important lists compiled from Greek, Latin and other languages in order to reveal what we know of other missing books that would, in some cases, otherwise be unheard of. This important piece of scholarship should be part of anyone's library who is seriously researching lost and ancient texts.

Compilation of little-known and never-before-published apocryphal Christian texts in English translation This anthology of ancient nonbiblical Christian literature presents informed introductions to and readable translations of a wide range of little-known apocryphal texts, most of which have never before been translated into any modern language. An introduction to the volume as a whole addresses the most significant features of the writings included and contextualizes them within the contemporary study of the Christian Apocrypha. The body of the book comprises thirty texts that have been carefully introduced, copiously annotated, and translated into English by eminent scholars. With dates of composition ranging from the second century CE to early in the second millennium, these fascinating texts provide a more complete picture of Christian thought and expression than canonical texts alone can offer.

The Christian canon of scripture, known as the New Testament, excluded many of the Church's traditional stories about its origins. Although not in the Bible, these popular stories have had a powerful influence on the Church's traditions and theology, and a particularly marked effect on visual representations of Christian belief. This book provides a lucid introduction to the relationship between the apocryphal texts and the paintings, mosaics, and sculpture in which they are frequently paralleled, and which have been so significant in transmitting these non-Biblical stories to generations of churchgoers.

The New Oxford Annotated Bible offers a vast range of information, including extensive notes by experts in their fields; in-text maps, charts, and diagrams; supplementary essays on translation, biblical interpretation, cultural and historical background, and other general topics. Extensively revised, the Annotated Fourth Edition adds to the established reputation of this essential biblical studies resource. This timely edition maintains and extends the excellence the Annotated's users have come to expect, bringing still more insights, information, and perspectives to bear upon the understanding of the biblical text.

The Oxford Handbook of Early Christian Apocrypha addresses issues and themes that arise in the study of early Christian apocryphal literature. It discusses key texts including the Gospel of Thomas, the Gospel of Mary, the Gospel of Peter, letters attributed to Paul, Peter, and Jesus, and acts and apocalypses written about or attributed to different apostles. Part One consists of authoritative surveys of the main branches of apocryphal literature (gospels, acts, epistles, apocalypses, and related literature) and Part Two considers key issues that they raise. These include their contribution to our understanding of developing theological understandings of Jesus, the apostles and other important figures such as Mary. It also addresses the value of these texts as potential sources for knowledge of the historical Jesus, and for debates about Jewish-Christian relations, the practice of Christian worship, and developing understandings of asceticism, gender and sexuality, etc. The volume also considers questions such as which ancient readers read early Christian apocrypha, their place in Christian spirituality, and their place in contemporary popular culture and contemporary theological discourse.

The Corpous Apocryphum Hiberniae is organised by a number of distinguished specialists, including Father Martin McNamara, MSC. Some of the Apocrypha are preserved only in Old Irish. To focus research on the Apocrypha Hiberniae is to bring into view the milieu of Old Ireland, its links with the Holy Land, and the complex and creative traditions that enlivened the earliest Christians who endeavoured to imagine the lives of Jesus, his family, and his earliest followers. Most of this information has only recently become more widely known, making this work a fascinating and invaluable resource.